On 11 January an eerie figure appeared in Dinas Mawddwy – eight-foot and fleshless with baubles for eyes, the horse-like Mari Lwyd came to visit.
Men and women in 18th-century dress began gathering in doorways with the creature draped in white, wandering from door to door asking to be let in.
The Mari Lwyd (the Grey Mare/ Grey Mary) is an old Welsh tradition celebrating the new year, with Dinas Mawddwy hosting the biggest celebration of its kind in north Wales.
The Dinas event started 22 years ago to encourage Welsh learners to practice socially.
The Mari Lwyd and her merry band of men singing to be let into the Buckley Arms pub in Dinas Mawddwy (J Maher)
The event is now attended by hundreds every year, with the organisers awe-struck by its organic popularity.
Arfon Hughes, a former Welsh teacher who came up with the idea, said: “We arrange it every year and hundreds turn up.
“We don’t advertise it, it’s just grown through word of mouth as it’s a good night.
“It’s increased over the last few years, there’s a trend of people becoming more interested in Welsh traditions.
“A lot more people aware of the Mari Lwyd now and wanting to be part of an old celebration for the new year.”
The Mari Lwyd singing pwnco with a group of men in 18th-century dress in the Brigands Inn, Mallwyd (J Maher)
Mari Lwyd celebrations were first recorded in 1800 and hold similarities with other old UK customs in which people would try to find food and money during winter by going door to door with entertainment in the form of hooded animals-like creatures.
Some think the Mari Lwyd harks back to pagan folklore involving pale horses that can travel to the underworld, whilst others interpret Mari as a pregnant horse who was banished from the stables where Jesus was born, forced to search for somewhere to have her child.
Arfon didn’t celebrate the Mari Lwyd as a child, attending his first event in Crickhowell in the late 80s when a revival of the Welsh tradition had begun.
The Crickhowell organiser, retiring from his duties gifted Arfon his horse skull, which came from a pony that died on the Brecon Beacons/ Bannau Brycheiniog.
Cass Meurig, Gwilym Thomas and friends playing Welsh folk during the Mari Lwyd celebrations in Dinas Mawddwy. The event now gains a small amount of funding from Cyngor Gwynedd to pay for local artists to perform. (J Maher)
This year, an estimated 170-200 people attended the celebrations, beginning with a cèilidh-like dance to Welsh music at the Brigands Inn played by accordions, fiddles and drums.
The ancient pub crawl then began – first to the Buckley Arms where the Mari Lwyd stood outside with a jester and blow-up trudgeon, singing with the crowd to be let in.
There was a joyful call and response between the men outside and the women inside, involving mischievous Welsh song or pwnco – an exchange of rude rhymes.
Whoever ran out of verses first loses, and if the giant naughty undead horse and her merry band of men are successful they get let in.
A spread of food was generously made available at every pub, and in one case, a community member’s house.
The last pub, the Red Lion/ Llew Coch then hosted a knees-up to more live music.
Usually taking place between Christmas Day and the Twelfth night, the households who let in the Mari Lwyd are said to gain good luck for the new year.
Group dancing closed the evening outside the Llew Coch/ Red Lion (J Maher)